Introduction

Cameroon’s 2023–2030 Education and Training Sector Strategy (ETSS) marks a decisive turning point in the transformation and modernization of education within the country. Crafted under the leadership of the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, the strategy is the outcome of an inclusive and collaborative process involving diverse stakeholders from the educational community and broader society, including key governmental ministries, technical and financial partners, and civil society. It is framed to support national ambitions for development while aligning with international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Underpinning this strategy is the understanding that a resilient, accessible, and quality education system is a prerequisite to human capital development, national cohesion, economic growth, and long-lasting social well-being. The 2023–2030 roadmap addresses challenges that have historically hampered the sector inequity, low quality of learning, insufficient professionalization, and regional disparities while embracing transformative priorities of inclusion, innovation, autonomy, and relevance. The following analysis presents the vision, main orientations, and essential pillars of the strategy, its reform dynamics, the critical roles of governance and partnerships, and considers the ambitions and challenges that will shape Cameroon’s educational future over the next decade.

Vision and Guiding Principles

Vision for the Future

The core vision of the ETSS is to establish an education and training system that equips all Cameroonians with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to contribute meaningfully to national development. This vision is anchored in three main aspirations:

– Equity and Inclusion:  Ensuring all children, irrespective of background, gender, region, or vulnerability, have equal opportunities to access and succeed in quality education.

– Quality and Relevance: Fostering learning environments and curricula that nurture critical thinking, digital aptitude, bilingual and multicultural skills, and entrepreneurial mindsets.

– Professionalization and Innovation:  Raising the standards of teacher qualification, motivating and supporting educators, and integrating innovative pedagogies, especially through digitalization.

Strategic Pillars and Orientations

Inclusivity and Access

The strategy strongly emphasizes universal access removing barriers for marginalized populations, girls, displaced persons, and those living in rural or conflict-affected areas. Key orientations include:

– Promoting inclusive education, integrating special needs and out-of-school children.

– Supporting early childhood care and education to lay solid learning foundations.

– Facilitating reintegration and transitions between educational cycles.

Quality and Relevance of Education

A major thrust of the ETSS is to enhance the quality and relevance of learning experiences by:

– Revising curricula to integrate skills-based, competency-centered approaches attuned to labor market needs.

– Promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism at all levels, with dedicated efforts towards national languages.

– Strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), digital literacy, and entrepreneurial education.

– Advancing gender-responsive and life skills education, targeting attitudes and socio-economic skills for citizenship.

 Teaching Profession and Capacity Building

The professionalization of teaching is at the heart of reforms:

– Upgrading initial and continuous training for teachers, with an emphasis on pedagogical innovation and inclusive methodologies.

– Reforming teacher recruitment, deployment, and career management to foster motivation, retention, and performance.

– Integrating modern technologies into teaching and administration, further reinforced by dedicated ICT strategies in basic and secondary education.

Governance, Financing, and Partnerships

Good governance is recognized as indispensable for system transformation. The strategy seeks to:

– Strengthen coordination among educational ministries and across levels of government.

– Enhance monitoring and evaluation frameworks and data-driven decision making.

– Deepen decentralization, empowering local communities and actors in educational governance.

– Promote sustainable financing and resource mobilization, including the engagement of technical and financial development partners, and the private sector for shared accountability and innovation.

Systemic Reforms and Cross-Cutting Themes

 Bilingualism and Multiculturalism

Cameroon’s status as a bilingual nation forms a unique pillar of identity and competitive advantage. The ETSS supports:

– Early and systematic introduction of official languages in education, from preschool onward.

– Expanded opportunities for instruction in major national languages, promoting social cohesion.

Digital Transformation

In response to global disruptions and in recognition of technology’s transformative potential, the strategy prioritizes digitalization, including:

– Development and implementation of ICT policies in basic and secondary education.

– Promotion of e-learning, digital tools, and teacher upskilling in digital competencies.

Decentralization and Local Empowerment

Decentralization is vital for responsiveness and sustainability. Progressive transfer of competencies to local authorities aims to:

– Foster local ownership, innovation, and accountability.

– Enhance service delivery and adapt education to community realities.

– Encourage stakeholder participation, especially parents, civil society, and the private sector.

Gender Equity and Social Inclusion

The strategy underlines:

– The mainstreaming of gender at all levels of education policies and programming.

– Specific interventions to promote girls’ education and eliminate gender-based violence in schools.

– Removal of barriers for children with disabilities, those in conflict-affected regions, and other vulnerable groups.

Human Capital and National Unity

An overarching ambition is to mold generations of Cameroonians who are not only knowledgeable but also adaptable and socially integrated. The ETSS aspires to:

– Produce graduates who are bilingual, technologically adept, and ready for both local and global opportunities.

– Nurture values of unity, diversity, and civic responsibility.

 Competitiveness and Economic Development

By focusing on skills development, technical and vocational education, and the alignment of curricula with labor market needs, the strategy seeks to:

– Enhance employability and foster entrepreneurship.

– Reduce youth unemployment and underemployment.

– Contribute to the nation’s economic transformation and self-reliance.

Resilient and Adaptive Systems

After years marked by instability, epidemics, and security crises, resilience is central to Cameroon’s vision. The ETSS emphasizes:

– The ability of the system to withstand shocks and adapt to diverse regional realities.

– Institutionalizing risk mitigation, psychosocial support, and crisis response within educational planning.

Challenges and Opportunities

Persistent Barriers

Despite clear vision and priorities, the ETSS must contend with significant challenges:

– Regional disparities and inequities in access and quality, exacerbated by conflict and displacement.

– Limited resources, infrastructural constraints, and the need for better teacher working conditions.

– The complexity of coordinating multiple ministries and stakeholders within a decentralized framework.

Windows for Transformation

Nonetheless, diverse opportunities abound to fundamentally reshape education in Cameroon, such as:

– Growing national and international commitment to education financing and reform.

– The potential of digitalization to revolutionize teaching and learning practices.

– Stronger social demand for quality education, gender equality, and skills relevant to contemporary challenges.

Institutional and coordination mechanism

The mechanism of the education sector strategy falls in line with the provisions set out in the 2020- 2030 National Development Strategy (NDS30) which provide for a National Planning and Regional Development Council, placed under the direct authority and chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Head of Government. The National Planning and Regional Development Council comprises all members of Government as well as representatives of the private sector and civil society; it supervises the overall implementation of the strategy. In this capacity, its main tasks include the following: (i) constantly ensure alignment and consistency of action plans with priorities laid down in the strategy, (ii) determine resource mobilisation plans necessary for NDS30 implementation, (iii) validate the programmes of various government institutions to be implemented under the strategy’s priority action plan and (iv) guide budgetary programming accordingly on the basis of the assessment of results, effects and impacts observed in implementing the national strategic framework.

The missions of Council are based on the analysis of a National Monitoring-Evaluation Committee for NDS30 implementation, placed under the authority of the Minister in charge of Planning and it is composed of Secretaries General of all ministries as well as representatives from other government institutions and some public bodies, regional and local authorities, consular chambers and the private sector, civil society organisations and technical and financial partners. The Committee has as mission to: (i) search for lasting financial solutions in cooperation with interested partners, (ii) ensure the monitoring of the implementation of validated programmes, (iii) ensure the production of quality statistics (iv) supervise actions relating to the organisation of institutional reviews and (v) make proposals for resource allocation.